Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

गतिर्ध्यानं विना भक्तैर्ब्राह्मणैः प्राप्यते नृप । अध्यापयन्यतो वेदान्वेदं वापि यथाविधि

Transliteration

gatirdhyānaṃ vinā bhaktairbrāhmaṇaiḥ prāpyate nṛpa | adhyāpayanyato vedānvedaṃ vāpi yathāvidhi

Translation

ข้าแต่มหาราช พราหมณ์ผู้มีภักติย่อมไม่บรรลุคติสูงได้หากปราศจากสมาธิภาวนา; เขาบรรลุได้ด้วยการสอนพระเวท หรือศึกษาพระเวทตามวิธีที่บัญญัติไว้

Word by Word

• गतिः: attainment, goal
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (Singular)

• ध्यानम्: meditation
• ध्यानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/वर्जनार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), उपपद-निपात (Preposition-like particle)

• भक्तैः: by devotees
• भक्तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (भज् धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) संज्ञावत्

• ब्राह्मणैः: by Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्राप्यते: is obtained
• प्राप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन (Singular)

• अध्यापयन्: teaching
• अध्यापयन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अध्यापय (अध्य-आ-√पठ् causative धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; परस्मैपद-कर्तरि

• यतः: whereby, because of which
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: 'whereby/for which reason')

• वेदान्: the Vedas
• वेदान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वेदम्: the Veda
• वेदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), विकल्पार्थक निपात (Disjunctive particle)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), निपात (Particle: also/even)

• यथा-विधि: according to rule
• यथा-विधि: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (Adverbial)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) context

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa teacher and students in a riverside āśrama; one figure in meditation posture while another recites/teaches Veda; the king listens, learning that dhyāna is indispensable.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Brāhmaṇa
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Learning and teaching scripture bear fruit when joined with devotion and meditation, leading toward the highest goal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of the Revā Khaṇḍa’s dharma exposition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditation (dhyāna) alongside proper Vedic study/teaching (yathāvidhi adhyayana/adhyāpana).